ISLAMABAD, June 14 (APP): Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Thursday said political stability was vital to help a country better position itself to achieve its foreign policy objectives. Addressing the 6th Annual Convocation Ceremony here at the National Defence University, Gilani said the strength of a country was measured not in terms of its ability to impose unilateral decisions, but to create a win-win situation for all. The Prime Minister spoke at length on four major areas that were the focal point of his democratic government and included the foreign policy, revival of economy, energy crisis and political stability.

Gilani said being part of a world that was highly interconnected and
interdependent, the government has made a paradigm shift towards making
its neighborhood peaceful, stable, and prosperous on the basis of
peaceful co-existence, in an upfront manner.
“For us the most important capital in the world is Kabul, and the
government of Kabul is the most important partner,” the Prime Minister
said.
He told the graduates, including 13 from foreign countries, that a
peaceful, stable and sovereign Afghanistan was an absolute prerequisite
for stability and peace in Pakistan.
The Prime Minister said Pakistan was the first to suffer at the hands of
strife in Afghanistan, and the first to benefit from peace in
Afghanistan.
“However, we strongly believe that the solution of Afghanistan will have
to come from within Afghanistan. It will have to be led by the Afghans
and owned by the Afghans.”
Referring to Pakistan’s relations with India, Gilani termed these
“stable and peaceful” and added “we have tried to transform this
relationship by approaching it in a positive rather than in a
traditional manner.
The Prime Minister said normalizing trade with India has been an issue that no previous governments wanted to touch.
“But we decided to look at this issue from a purely national and regional perspective,” the Prime Minister said.
He mentioned the resumption of full dialogue with India, which covered
all issues including Siachin, Sir Creek, counter terrorism, water
issues, and the most important of all, the core issue of Jammu and
Kashmir.